Eating my final slice of toast, I look up as Karma laughs at something Killian said to her, and I somewhat envy how he can make her laugh so easily. I stare around to see Coxen and Jade talking quietly together, touching arms every so often when they think people aren't looking. Storm buggered off this morning, and I hate how trapped we are in here unless he can take us with him. I think I could deal with the fact we are stuck in this prison until someone comes for us, but fuck, I can't deal with Storm insisting we stay in the house unless he is with us. I pull at the rim of my top, clearing my throat as Karma looks over at me.
"So, what do you have planned for today, goldipops?" she asks, smiling in a way that lights up her beautiful face, and it becomes hard to focus on much else. Karma hasn't a clue how stunning she is, how different and unique. She is like a cold glass of water on a hot summer's day. Her green eyes wait for my answer, as her firm lips part ever so slightly. It takes a damn lot of effort not to show her how I feel and keep her a good distance away. Guys like me only fuck up pretty women like her. Killian is smirking at me as I sit back, crossing my arms. Killian gets up, saying goodbye to everyone as he follows Coxen and Jade out of the room, leaving me alone with her.
"Pace the house, wait for my fucking babysitter to escort me out. You know, the usual," I sourly reply.
"Storm only wants you to stay alive. Even a gobshite such as yourself can see that," she replies, pushing the chair out. I stand with her as she steps up to me, being brave and reckless just like she always is. Why the hell it turns me on, I will fucking never know. Pushing a finger into my chest, she glares at me like I'm the devil itself. "If you want to die, then leave."
"Are you upset that I called your boyfriend a babysitter, or is it that you don't want me to leave?" I ask, curling my hand around hers, moving her finger down and away from my chest. I can hear her breathing intensify as I tug her closer to me, pressing all her soft body against mine, the smell of her hair filling my senses. She smells like freshly cut flowers and slightly of peanut butter. I didn't know these things could be remotely attractive until I met her.
"I'm not upset, Storm isn't my anything, and of course I don't want you dead. As you said, someone will come for you, and you kinda need to be alive to help me escape," she points out.
"So, you are just using me, Karma?" I ask, tutting as her cheeks burn as red as her hair. "How very heartless of you."
"When are you going to stop being an arsehole to everyone? Are you really always angry with the world?" she asks me, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly. For some reason, I can't stop noticing every little thing about her, even when I want nothing more than to be away from her. I like her; hell, I'm not that much of an idiot not to realise that by now. I like how kind she is when I can see she doesn't want to be. I like how she keeps a creature that no one else would, and it's clearly never crossed her mind that the goblin could be to blame for all her bad luck. I like how she never once lied to us about accidentally killing the higher god, and she doesn't hate me or Killian for not believing her. Karma is downright fucking addictive with how special she is...and what's worse is that she doesn't even know she is doing it.
"The world doesn't care if I'm angry or not. It just takes what it wants...so does my answer matter?" I reply to her, reminding myself not to fall for her.
"I don't know why, but it does to me," Karma replies, and I pull my eyebrows together in confusion. I've been nothing but an arsehole to her, so why the heck would she care about me? The reason suddenly slams into me like a barge pole.
"Killian told you about my human life, and my wife I lost to cancer, didn't he?" I ask, and her guilty expression is answer enough before she can even speak. "You don't have to feel sorry for me, Karma. I don't need it from you." I let go of her hand and walk to the door. Her hand grabs my arm, stopping me by the hallway, and I have no choice but to look back down at her.
"I do feel sorry for you, I'm not going to lie about that, but I don't care about you because you have a messed up past. You need a friend, I think, and I'm offering that. Just don't be a dick all the time," she tells me. Though the way she looks at me, it just reminds me why I need to stay away from her.
"You're confusing, Karma," I sigh.
"I think you said that to me on our first date," she says with a big smile, letting go of my arm and walking around me. I rest against the hallway pillar as she walks up the stairs, disappearing from view. No matter how much I push her away, she comes back like nothing happened. I doubt even telling her to run away would do much at this point. The front door opens and Storm walks in, holding a green dress over his arm. As much as I hate having a babysitter, Storm isn't a total dickhead. He is a good fighter and actually gives me a decent challenge when Killian cannot be asked to fight for long. We could be considered friends, if he didn't look like he wants to kill me every time I'm near Karma. I'm pretty sure he would gouge my eyeballs out if it wouldn't make Karma upset.
"Are you coming to the party tomorrow night?" Storm asks me. "And have you seen Karma around?"
"I'm coming only because Killian thinks it might be fun to get out," I say, crossing my arms.
"Good. The people need to see that you two are alright guys, not assholes like your father was and what they think you are like," he tells me. I tighten my fists in anger because of the simple fact he knew my father, yet I never got a fucking chance. It's not Storm's fault, but my father isn't around to get mad at.
"Karma is upstairs," I tell him.
"Thank you," he replies, walking past me and stopping with one foot on the first step. "You know she is mine, right? I don't share at all."
"Have you told her that?" I say, smiling widely which only serves to piss him off. He narrows his eyes at me, clearly seeing that as a challenge before stomping up the stairs. I don't know who he is kidding. Karma does whatever the hell she wants, it's part of her unique charm. Well, charm is one word that comes to mind anyway.
Chapter 29
"You ungrateful little—" I shout at Kit as he jumps off the bed, stealing my last cupcake that Jade made me, after I gave him one of his own. Someone knocks two times on the door, interrupting my attempts to grab the cupcake out from under my bed. I huff, sitting up and brushing my hair out of my eyes as I have a seat on my bed. "Come in!" I expect to see Jade walking through the door, but instead, it's Storm. My lips pull up as he shuts the door and holds up a long, floor length dark green dress with black lace embroidered into the hem and down the middle.
"It's for you. Admittedly, I had help from Jade with what to get as I've never chosen a dress for anyone before," he explains to me, looking nervous. Storm, a higher god with unimaginable power and strength is nervous I won't like the dress he got me. Holy gods, I didn't know Storm had this sweet side to him. I slide off the bed, walking up to Storm and jumping a little to wrap my arms around his neck. His arms tighten around me, holding me close as he almost lifts me up a little. I pull my head back to see him softly smiling down at me.
"Thank you. I really mean that," I gently tell him, well aware of how it feels to be in his arms. This close, I can pick up on how he smells like rosewood, reminding me of a tree at the bottom of my parents’ home that I used to sit under as I watched my mum plant more flowers. It was a nice place to escape from my crazy brothers when they were running around the house, being too boisterous for me. Neither of us seems to want to let go as the tension makes my bedroom feel smaller by the second. I focus on his eyes, instead of, you know, his lips or his muscular chest pressed against mine. Or his large hands spread over my back, the warmth of them making me want to press myself further into him.
“Your eyes literally look like they have the galaxy in them,” I whisper, totally caught up in his gaze. They are a swirl of blue, yellow and white stars on a deep purple backdrop that almost seems endless. I shake my head, stepping back, forcing him to let me go. “Wow, I almost forgot how much of an eegit you are for a second then.”
“I almost thought you could be romantic for a second there too,” he replies and looks away. He can shove those romantic ideas right up his pretty arse. Not that I’ve been looking at said arse…much.
"I'm a firm believer that we should be friends," I tell him as he places the dress on the dresser and tenses as I speak. Storm looks at me with determination, and I take a step back without realising I've done it. Storm feels like a wolf looking at his prey, determined to catch me no matter how long it takes. My pounding heart only makes every second seem so much longer, more drawn out than before.
"I'm not," Storm simply states as he walks right up to me, placing his hands on my face and pressing his lips to mine. Nothing about the way he kisses me is simple. His lips devour mine with enough passion to set the world on fire, and his dominating kisses make me forget there is a world altogether. Just as I go to press myself into his body and slide my hands onto his face, he pulls away, stepping back and leaving me in a breathless, confused state.
"I..." I start to speak, only to have no clue what I should say to him. I'm not immortal, and he is, meaning there is no chance for us to have a real future. This is just torturing each other...and I want more.
"Tell me you still want to be friends, and I will be the best fucking friend you've ever had. I won't ask for more even if it kills me. Say nothing, let me leave this room and take you on a date tomorrow. We will be so much more than anything you could imagine," he tells me. Any words get frozen in the back of my throat as Storm walks to the door, slowly opening it and looking back once at me. The look is possessive, sexy and right now, I realise I'm in for a whole world of trouble with Storm. The kind of trouble that is only going to break my heart, but I know it will be damn worth it.
Chapter 30
"If sexy Storm or Killian or even Seth doesn't want to devour you tonight, then something is wrong with the world," Jade remarks, and Coxen nervously coughs from his place at her side. His arm is wrapped around her waist, and it only makes me grin, remembering Jade sneaking into my room last night to tell me excitedly all about her and Coxen. They even say the L word now, and Jade said she never told a guy that before, let alone after only knowing him a month. Even though it's only been a month, it feels like so much longer than that. Our little makeshift family works in a very strange way. Killian, Storm and Seth have some kind of bromance going on, even though none of them admit it. Coxen and Jade are cute together and make sure we all eat together and get along. Hell, it somehow works.
I haven't told Jade about the kiss with Storm yesterday because I haven't even admitted it happened to myself yet. The lines of friendship are seriously blurry with Storm, Killian and Seth. The tension is hard to ignore. I've found the most attractive men in the world, who are also smart, brilliant and make me laugh. These men are something of dreams, and I live with all three of them. I can hardly remember any of my exes now. They are a blur, and every moment with my gods is clearly plastered in my mind forever. Wait, not my gods. My is not a word I should use to describe all three of them.
Storm is possessive in his nature, and if that kiss was anything to go by last night, he isn't giving up on me. Killian is teasing, the complete opposite to Storm in a way. I never know if he is this flirty and teasing with everyone, and if he means it all or not. Seth I just don't understand, and I doubt I ever will. The way he looks at me sometimes, all dark and moody lust, makes me want to kiss him. I doubt he really wants to kiss me though. I'm pretty sure he just about tolerates me. Either way, I can't have them all, that would be insane. I don't even wash my own clothes right, Jade has to fix it for me. I can’t imagine the mess all four of us would make. I shiver from the thought alone. "Hey, where did you go?" Jade asks, snapping her fingers in my face.
"I just miss my closet of heels," I lie. Well, it's not totally a lie, just more of a big avoidance excuse. "I have some beautiful green shoes that would match this dress perfectly." The dress Storm got me fits me like a glove, the lace goes all the way down to my feet and sways as I move. I’m in love with this dress and the soft, shimmery material it is made from.
"You know what I miss from the outside?" Jade says, nodding her head for us to walk down the corridor. "Hamburgers. Juicy steaks. Bacon."
"Same. Oh, and peanut butter," I reply, wishing I made my jar of peanut butter last longer than the few days it did.
"I've never tried these things, but the way Jade explains them makes me want to one day," Coxen adds in. His grey hair is styled, and he is wearing a black suit that makes him look smart.
